RABUDDHA WB eeevize Us| or AWAKENED INDIA A monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order Started by Swami Vivekanandaiin 1596) March 2016 Vol. 121, No. 3 Fa)THE ROAD TO WISDOM SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON Reason versus Religion—XI B those who are highly advanced do not care for such little helps, they have well-nigh forgotten all about this seeking things for themselves, wanting things for themselves. The predominant idea in them is-not |, but thou, my brother. Those are the fit persons to worship the Impersonal God. ‘And what is the worship of the Impersonal God? No slavery there-“O Lord, [ am nothing, rave mercy on me. You know the old Persian poem, translated into English: “I came to see my beloved. The doors were closed. [knocked and a voice came from inside. “who art thou?” “Iam so-and-so.” The door was not opened, A second time [ came and knocked, | was asked the same question, and gave the same answer. The door was opened not. | came a third time, and the same question came, | answered, “Iam thee, my love’, and the door opened.’ Worship of the Impersonal God is through truth. And what Is truck? That [ am He. When I say that [am rot Thou, it is untrue. When I say [am separate from you it is.a lie, a terrible lie. Lam one with this universe, born one. It is self-evident to my senses that | am one with the universe. | am one with the air that surrounds me, one with heat, one with light, eternally one with the whole Universal Being, who is called this universe, who is mistaken for the universe, for it is He and nothing else, the eternal subject In the heart who says, ‘Ian’, In every heart-the deathless one, the sleepless one, ever awake, the immortal, whose glory never dies, whose 4 4 => = RP-Sanjiv Goenka “FPS Group Growing Legacies powers never fail. [am one with That. This is all the worship of the impersonal, and what is the result? The whole life of man will be changed. Strength, strength it is that we want so much in this life, for what we call sin and sorrow have all one cause, and that is our weakness. With weakness comes ignorance, and with ignorance comes misery. [twill make us strong. Then miseries will be laughed at, and the ferocious tiger will reveal, behind its tiger’s nature, my own Self, That will be the result That soul is strong that has become one with the Lord; none else is strong. In your own Bible, what do you think was the cause of that strength of Jesus of Nazareth, that immense infinite strength which laughed at traitors, and blessed those that were willing to murder him? tt was thar, ‘Iand my Father are one’, it was that prayer, “Father, just as | am one with you, so make them all one with me/ ‘That is the worship of the Impersonal God. Be one with the universe, be one with Him. rom The Complete Works of Swomi Vivekananda, (Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama, 2013), 1390-91 ify CESCVol. 121, No.3 March 2016 ‘Managing Editor Swami Tatteavidananda Editor Stoami Nurasimbananda “Associate Editor and Design Sieami Divyahripanands Production Editor Swami Chidekananda Cover Design Subbalrata Chandra General Assistance Swami Vimobananda Swami Vibbsomanands Circulation Indrajit Sinha Tapas Jana EDITORIAL OFFICE Prabuddha Bharata Advaita Ashrama PO Mayavati, Via Lohaghat DeChampawat-262 52.4 Uttarakhand, India Tel: 9196909 98179 prabuddhabharatag@gmailicom ph@advaitaashrama.org Printed and Dublished by Swami Atmalokananda PUBLICATION OFFICE “Advaita Ashzama 5 Dchi Ennally Road Kolkata+700 014 ‘West Bengal, India Telvora5-2289 0858 3284 0210 / 2286 6450 / 6483 auil@advaitaashzama.org INTERNE EDITION sworwadvaitaasheama.org JPRABUDDHA ‘BHARATA or AWAKENED INDIA A monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order started by Swam! Vivekananda in 1896 Contents ‘Traditional Wisdom This Month Editorial; Transcending Dualities Sri Ramakrishna: Scriptures Embodied Swarni Kritarthananda ‘An Examination of the Concept of Dharma Ranjit Kumar Barman Vishvakarma Alok Dutta ‘The Birds of Sti Ramakrishna: The Swan Dr Surachi Pande Mandukya Upanishad Swarni Ranganathanansda Swami Premananda’s Teachings Swozmi Orsbareshwarananda ‘The Psychological Aspects of Spiricual Life Swami Nityasthananda Srarajya Siddhib of Gangadhaendra Sarasvati —Autaining Self- dominion Swanei Narasimbananda ‘Traditional Tales: Godly Mother Madalasa Reviews Manana Reports 34 345 347 3st 372 37S 379 oF <Subscribe to Prabuddha Bharata * Becomea Patron Subscriber and support the rich legacy left to all of us by Swami Vivekananda; patrons’ names are published in Prabuddha Bharata. * Prabuddha Bharata subscribers receive 10% discount on all Advaita Ashrama Publications. * Send remittances in favour of Prabuddha Bharata by bank draft or money order to Advaita Ashrama, 5 Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata 700 014, India. 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Prabuddha Bharata Library Initiati Name of Sponsor Beneficiary Library 173, Gopal Chandra Bhar, Hooghly. _ University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. 4174, Gopal Chandra Bhar, Hooghly. Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Aimer. Prabuddha Bharata Patron Subscribers: 597. Sampa Ray, Kolkata. 598. Dipankar Das, Visakhapatnam. Send my gift subscriptions to: PLEASE PRINT IN BLOCK LETTERSNew Release Twelve Azhvars Twelve Saints of Srivaishnavism By Smt. Gowri Rajagopal t @welve rea ers Based on the sourcebooks of Shrivaishnava Tradition, this slender volume, illustrated with four-colour pictures and sketches, contains brief life-sketches and an overview of the devotional literature of the highly revered 12 saints of Vaishnava Tradition of South India. Also includes 108 Divya Desha Namavali. 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Price: Rs. 35/- + Postage: Rs.25/- for single copy. 2 Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai = 600004 — Email: mail@chennaimath.orgwwew-sudarshansaur.com, When you go the solar energy way, you keep the environment out of harm’s way, Electric or gas geysers hamper the environment, since they involve burning coal or fossil fuels. Plus they add to the expenses of your home. That is’ why we bring to you Sudarshan Saur solar water heaters! Not only will they help you save! on electricity costs, they will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions and Jessen global warming. Besides, fossil fuels and other natural resources will be conserved in the process. Hence, they are perfect for your home and a massive step towards a greener planet. AN AY \\ Lifelong service | Suitable forall kinds of water Extensive dealer network Lakhs of satisfied customers in'25 years Awarded by Govt. of india for highest sales Bey YALE vow (OEoed ‘Sudarshan Saur Shakti Pvt. Ltd. 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Mayawati Via Lohaght Dist, Champaveat, 262824, Uttaralchand, India 6) Names & Addresses ofindividuals who own the newspape! & pertne’s or shareholders holding more than 1abof the Capital Swvamni Almasthananda, Ramakrishna Math, Belur; Swarm Smaranenandia, Ramakrishna Mth, Belur; Swamivagishensnid, Ramakrishna Math, Cossipore; Quam Prabhanenda, Ramakrishna Math Belut Swami Suhitananda, Ramakrishna Wath, Belu, ‘Swarni Ehajenananda, Ramakrishna Math, Belur, Swami Suniranancla, Ramakrishna Math, Belur Swami Balsbhedrananda, Ramakrishna Math, Blur; Swamni Bodhasarsanda, Ramalcrishna Math, 2elur, Swarm Girishan and, Ramakrishrs Math, Belur Swami Ahiramanande, Ramakrishna iision Vidyalaya, Coirbator = Swain Divyaranda, Rarmakrishna Mission Saradagitha, Balun Swami Geutamanande, rametsishns Math, Chennai wari Jnanalokanands, Remakrishns iission Vidyapith, Sutuli; ‘Swami Lokotterananda, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Kernarpuiur; Swari Muktidanande, Ramakcishn Ashrams, Mysore, Searri Murnukshenanda, Rarnakcishna Math, Balur; Swami Sarvabhutanands, Ramekiishna Mth anc Ramakiishna Mission Sevashaira, Allahabad Sora Sh ivamayanarids, Ramakrishna Math, Belur, Swami Tattwavidanands, Advaita Ashrame, Mayavet; Swami Vimalatmenenda, Ramaksishns Math, Baur || Swairi Atmalokanands, hereby declare that the particulars Giver 2bows ate rue to the best of my knowladaeand beliet Dated: 1 March 2015 sal Swami Atmalokanands Signatursofthe PulisherTRADITIONAL WISDOM sfarea sere over aarfiratera | Arise! Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached! Wl Upanish iad March 2016 Vol. 121, No.3 Woah a: at gisd & quien ach: aaa: Gee: | ae aunts aft afirge: adit=aart wreniad wa werd yr RonayM PTA wang | agaic agdnite aqeitier oftord qarerak areca wa a 7 aT Tent nia qeiviftnta wafer geactin | ser aensataus ear aftacfaqardel aRaqaet gedistayaed qardirdiverrentatt Hau Athanyatrapyskean yab harta soar vai bhutatmakaranath karagitentab purushab, Atha yathagnina'yaspindo vabhibhutah karmbhir-banyamano nanatvani-apaityevans vava kbalvatan Bhusasmantsh purushenabbibbur gunair-anyamano nanatoanospaiel. Chasarjalam chaturdashavidham chatwrashibdha parinatam bhutaganametaieal nanatvasyarupara, ‘Tent ha.ua etand gunani puruchenssiean! chakranstia varisyavonce). Atha pathapaspinde hanyamane vagnsr-abhibbuyatpevam nabbibhuyaryacan prurusho bbibbuyaryayane Bhustatraopasamshlithsatvadits Gs) ‘And it has been said elsewhere also: “Indeed, one who is the doer is also the elemental soul. One whe causes actions through the organs is the inner person. Now, just as a lump of iron takes many forms being overcome by fire and beaten by workers, s0, of course, indeed, the elemental soul cakes many forms overcome by the inner person and beaten by qualities. In- deed, che mode of that form has fourfold covering, is fourteen-fold, is wansformed in eighty- four different ways, is a host of beings. Indeed, these varieties are impelled by the person just as the wheel is impelled by the porter. Now, just as-when a lump of iron is beaten, the fire is notoyercome, so, the person is noc overcome, The elemental soulis overcome due to attache ‘ment to qualities” G3) PB March 2016 343THIS MONTH UR LIFE TS AN UNENDING tug-of-war aught up in the pulls of dual extremes of ignorance: good and evil, love and hatred, attachment and aversion, and so on. ‘Most often we lose our ideals and deflect from our goals because of the pitfalls that this con- stant fight brings. No material pursuit, not to talk of spiritual exercises, is possible if the influ- ence of these pulls is not managed. Transcend- ing Dualities explores the need for and ways of controlling these twin troubles. Incarnations guide che ordinary by aligning their lives on the eternal principles of truth. Ieis only natural with them as they are established in the ultimate reality or truth. Sri Ramakrishna’s life could be considered a new scripture by itself that is a guide to all spiritual aspirants. This is portrayed in che first instalment of Sri Rama- krishna: Scriptures Embodied by Swami Kri- tarthananda, Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math. Ranjit Kumar Barman, Assistant Professor in the department of philosophy, Sukanta Maha- vidyalaya, Dhupguri, West Bengal, does An Examination of the Concept of Dharma. Alok Dutta, a litterateur, artist, and social ac- tivist from Kolkata takes a fresh look at the di- verse aspects of the architect-god, Vishvakarma. In The Birds of Sri Ramakrishna: Swan, Dr Suruchi Pande, vice chairperson, Ela Foun- dation, Pune and head, department of ethno- ornithology, MES Garware College, Pune, explores the contexts in which Sri Ramakrishna talked of the swan and also gives some ornitho- logical information. 344 Turia or the fourth state of consciousness is described in the second instalment of the edited transcription of aseries of lectures on Mandukya Upanishad given by Swami Ranganathanandgji Maharaj, who was the thirteenth president of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. The sublimity of Ramanama-sankirtana and the futility of lecturing and dabbling in words in spiritual life are pointed out in the second instalment of Swami Omkareshwarananda’ re- counting of Swami Premananda’s Teachings. This has been translated from the Bengali book Premananda. ‘The human need for fulfilment is discussed in the second instalment of The Psychological Aspects of Spiritual Life by Swami Nitya- sthananda, acharya at the Probationers’ Training. Centre, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math. In the twentieth instalment of Svarajya Sid- dbib of Gangadharendra Sarasvati—Attain- ing Self-dominion, the Buddhist standpoint is quashed. This text has been translated and an- notated by Swami Narasimhananda, editor of Prabuddha Bharata. ‘The story of The Godly Mother Madalasa is featured in this month’ Traditional Tales. This story has been translated from the Tamil book Arulneri Kathaigal. Susan Blackmore, a British parapsychologist, lecturer, and a writer on psychology held Con- versations on Consciousness with various ex- perts in the field. From this book, we bring you this month’s Manana. PB March 2016EDITORIAL Transcending Dualities E WANT TO BE HAPPY but our sor- rows do not let us be so. We want to love people but our love is constantly clouded by unremitting hatred. We want to go ahead on our path to achieve greatness but the pulls of our body and mind do not let us do things in peace. We are constantly tossed and turned by the pulls of dualities. These twin-trou- bles come from our body, mind, and the envir- onment. At their root lies our inherent nature to see things in pairs of opposites. This is similar to the traffic lights: red means stop; green means go. The amber light for waiting is not so much an intrinsic trait of human beings. Perception is ignorance. At least ordinary perception is, In the realm of ignorance all perception is wrong and leads us away from knowledge. True percep- tion is the immediate perception that is achieved without the senses as opposed to the mediate perception achieved through the senses. Imme- diate perception can be only of an indivisible, infinite, non-dual reality. The way to attain an immediate perception of this reality is to go be- yond the realm of ignorance. This can be done by constantly reminding oneself of the ultimate reality or negating the apparent permanence of, the evanescent experiences of dual nature. Detachment is the key to negating the illu- sory events of the universe. This detachment has to be at the levels of the body, mind, and body-mind interactions with the environment. ‘When the mind is detached its detachment per- colates to the body and all interactions with ex: ternal stimuli. The human body is engineered to PB March 2016 endure. That is the reason why when millions have not much to protect their body with, some privileged few worry about the extra lining ab- sent in their apparel. It is also why when count- less are satiated by stale and tasteless food, a few toss a meal where the seasoning is inadequate. ‘Comparison brings confusion. Only by an experiential understanding of the futility of all external experiences is one convinced of the need to analyse oneself subjectively. ‘The human brain is programmed to think in discrete sets. There are two aspects on either side of a yardstick. ‘the line of the desired outcome has only two possibilities, chat the outcome is fulfilled or that it is not. So, in all temporal con- structions of the mind, there are distinct div- isions such as light and darkness. ‘The primate past of the human beings had to heavily rely upon this trait of objectifying sensory data in pairs. ‘Whether an animal could be hunted or not was fast communicated in binary form:a mere shake of the head in the appropriate direction sufficed. In essence human evolution has kept this method of communication; only the form has changed from a nod to the digital pathway of the present- day world, Still, we humans definitely rely on bi- nary data. So, there lies the problem intrinsic to the psychological and neurological make-up of the human being. We are stuck with dualities. ‘The only way out seems to be the realisation that all that we see in this universe is unreal, no mat- ter how we see it, whether binary or otherwise. 3454 Prabuddha Bharata Why is it so important to transcend dual- ities? It could be well argued that these dual- ities are what give the human life an edge over other beings and create the totality of a sublime expression. While that may be the apparent, the cause of all suffering is our overly intense preoccupation with duality. For instance, if we er a line to be our ideal that has to be con achieved, the moment we reach this line, we are immediately aware of a bigger line, a higher ideal. ‘That is why it is impossible to attain ful- filment in the domain of dualities. Hence, whatever we may attain in the life of sense-ex- perience, there would always be something bet- ter yet to be attained. ‘This is the root cause of misery. It is imperative that we transcend dual- ities if we wish to transcend misery. For a bliss- ful state to be attained, the bliss should nor be dependent on anything. A practical method of setting oneself on the path of transcending dualities would be to constantly analyse every aspect of one’s experi ence and try to find the cause of such experience within oneself. While doing so, one should also remind oneself that these experiences are all il- lusory and have to be undergone only till the ul- timate truth is known. For instance, if one gets angry, instead of blaming a person, object, or a living being for that fit of anger if one could see oneselfas responsible, it would be easy to control anger and eventually go beyond it. This exercise could be done with all other experiences. Ie def- initely is the subjece who is responsible for any experience. Else, why is it that different people have different responses to the same external stimulus? ‘The difference is in the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual maturity of the sub- ject. Solutions to all our problems are not to be found in the rectification of the external envir- onment but in the conviction that no change can be brought from without bur only from within. 346 ‘The human mind is capable of destroying itself by meditation on the ultimate reality much like a self-destruct computer program. It is up to us to harness this unique potential of the human mind and put an end to all suffering. Logic and reasoning are great stumbling blocks toall efforts to transcend dualities. While they are highly useful in removing unnecessary mental clutter, they bind one in the straitjacketed cage of patterns and structures that are charac- teristic of all creations of time, space, and caus- ation. The secret is to clean the mind of rubbish and focus it on something that is beyond logic, something that is inexplicable. Since the uleim- ate reality fogged by ignorance brings about the phenomenal universe, all cause and effect rela- tionships are within the realm of this ignorance. Ie is che reason why many faith-traditions insist on breaking systemic thought-patterns and ask to meditate on apparently meaningless sounds and syllables. ‘Transcending dualities cannot be a sensory experience. It has to be beyond the mind too. Comparison brings confusion. By an experien- tial understanding of the futility of all external experiences, one is convinced of the need to ana- lyse oneself subjectively. Problems of life only aggravate as longas they are seen as caused by ex- ternal factors. Subjectifying a problem not only puts it in perspective but it also takes one closer to the understanding of the essential non-dual nature of the universe. All separation causes suf- fering, If there is nothing or none to be loved, hated, feared, conquered, and to exert upon the countless other dual manifestations of the human mind, then there would be no suffering. In reality, there is eruly nothingor none separate from ones there is only the one non-dual real- ity, What is needed is the understanding of this truth. And only such understanding can lead one away from all suffering and misery. & PB March 2016Sri Ramakrishna: Scriptures Embodied Swami Kritarthananda Swami Vivekananda had said on sev- N SPEAKING TO THE WESTERN audi- |: eral occasions that everything a true Hindu does—right from birth cll che last breath—is in accordance with the scriptural injunction. In fact a true Hindu’ life is moulded after the pattern laid down by the scriptures. Great souls descend on Indian soil from time to time to prove the veracity of such statements in their lives. Their exemplary lives act as a bea- con light to the weak-minded humanity, and inspire them to live in conformity with the scrip- tures, thereby making their goal of life, namely God-realisation, meaningful. More so is the case with the great souls called avataras. Buddha, Sri Ramachandra, Sri Krishna, Acharya Shankara, Ramanuja, and Sri Chaitanya were a few of such avataras who were born with superhuman qualities of head and heart. ‘They all learnt the wisdom inherent in the scriptures from their very childhood. Be- sides, they had many more dazzling glories and through their personalities made them unique in many respects. Education in Nature’s School Sti Ramakrishna was born in a devout and learned yet humble and steadfast brahmana fam- ily, and was endowed with a few prominent traits that acted as strong shields in protecting his life from many odds and leading him smoothly to- wards the goal of human life. In the first place, he had a passion for truth, a desire to experi- ence truth from various revelations of the ‘open PB March 2016 book of nature! So he started this adventurous journey towards truth by happily agreeing to go to school with many other friends of his village. He was always in a playful mood with them, yet with a little distinction. Unlike others, he had a unique penetrative gaze which could judge thingsin depth with an unbiased mind by diving through the obstructive covering. It is the first weapon necessary to storm the gate of spiritual mansion. So even amidst his play he discovered that the great scholars had their minds fixed on mere bread-earning education instead of acquir- ing the knowledge of the Immutable one." Learning his mathematics lessons on add- ition was acceptable to the boy Gadadhar, the given name of Sri Ramakrishna. But the prob- Jem came in the case of subtraction. His ques- tion was: how could anything be taken away from another? Isn't everything pervaded by God? So if you reduce something from an- other, where can the remainder be kept? ‘The scholarly teachers found such questions too much to answer; it was beyond the pale of their knowledge. So Gadadhar's learning ended up in merely enjoying the company of friends. In his eyes all chose complicated problems of ac- counts were meant to enrich material prosper ity, which he disliked since childhood. Hence his education could not cross the threshold of the village school because of his refusal to seek money from scholarship. Again, with the same analytical eyes he could conclude that God had a laugh when two brothers quarrelled over the possession ofa land 34716 Prabuddha Bharata and divided it into two with a rope, claiming one side for each. Probably both of them could die the very next day of unknown causes. Little Gadadhar could see the terrible joke of God. He could also see God laughing when a doc- tor falsely assures the relatives of a dying person of being able to bring that person back to life, knowing fully well that the latter's lifespan was over. God again gave a hearty but silent laugh from behind the curtain but within Gadad- har’s gaze. Gadadhar realised the limitations of human capacity. ‘These are a few specks from the open book of nature that made little Gadadhar wise even with- out formal schooling and without memorising, the lessons, Mother Nature is so gracious that she goes on revealing herself every moment to the keen and unbiased observer. Nature even com- ‘municates in her own language and sign, which can only be perceived by an open heart. This is a kind of revelation of the immanent God through the truths of nature. Happily enough, this power of unbiased and neutral observation isalso an in- dispensable prerequisite in the path of science. ‘Another rare quality Gadadhar possessed was to hold firmly che wisdom perceived long ago. ‘This capacity is called medha. It does not mean merely a photographic memory, as is held by many. When a student absorbs something into one’s system with all love, confidence, and shraddha, it makes an indelible impression in the studene’s personality and comes out spon- taneously in times of crises, as if to protect one from all odds like an affectionate mother. Ga- dadhar’s observations were so keen and carried in their trail such a strong will to do good to all that even those very events which aroused adverse re- actions in ordinary minds would reveal to him something unique and special about God. A few illustrations will clarify the statement. In later years, once a devotee asked Sri Ramakrishna 348 how to fix the mind on God. The latter at once saw down the memory lane a sight of the mar- ketplace at Kamarpuknr. Two women-vendors were busy in a roadside shanty husking rice from paddy by means ofa locally made contraption of a pounding stone moving inand out of a shallow pit by means of a lever system run manually by one of them while the other was checking and re- moving the husked rice and pushing ina fresh lot for husking; simultaneously she was carrying on conversations with the buyer and attending to various needs, at the same time breastfeeding her child. All the while her careful gaze was on the pounding stone which fell on che husking rice in quick succession. Sri Ramakrishna spoke of abhyasa-yoga or the yoga of constant practice to the questioner by narrating this incident (367). When he was taken to see the Calcutta Circus he saw a young girl standingon one legon arun- ning horse. That reminded him of intense spi ual practice which leads to perfection. And even when his horse carriage was clopping past the grog shop wherein a few tipsy people were rev- elling in a spell of intoxication, Sri Ramakrishna pushed his neck out of the carriage window and cheered them up in a loud voice. ‘The sight had actually reminded him of the joy of God- intoxication! ‘This is another unique power of ‘medha—to convert even commonplace, profane experiences into divine memory spontaneously. The Illiterate Scholar We have just seen that Sri Ramakrishna did not continue his study in school, not to speak of having scriptural knowledge. Then how could he mould his life according to scriptural injune- tions? This isa strange phenomenon found in his life story. Ie was not that he followed scriptures, but on the other hand, the scriptures followed him. Ie all started even as he was a little boy. Dhani,a woman of blacksmith caste, became the PB March 2016Sri Ramakrishna: Scriptures Embodied ” midwife at the time of little Gadadhar’s birth. It was she who became his second mother. Once when left alone with Gadadhar, she extracted from the little one a promise that he would beg his first alms from her at the time of investiture with the sacred thread. And poor that she was, she started saving money bit by bit from that day, trusting that little boy’s candid promise. It was a historic event that ever happened in the Indian history that a brahmana boy begged his first alms from a low-caste blacksmith woman. Was it a mere childish prank of a simple boy to violate the age-old custom? The general answer of the ma- jority would be, to hold on to truth, that is, the promise he made earlier. Right, but that is not the only answer. The renowned lawmaker Manu gave an injunction in his Smriti: ‘A Brahmin boy may beg his first alms after investiture ceremony from his mother, sister aunt, or one who gives fll dignity to him:? But how did Gadadhar know all that at that tender age? One has no answer t0 this question except that scriptures follow him who is the real pandit. Now, what is the true meaning of the word ‘pandit’? Let us refer to the greatest commentator of the eighth century, Shankara. He clearly comments in his commen- tary on the Bhagavadgita that only one who has panda, that is, a clear knowledge, of the Atman, is fit to be called a pandit.’ He further explained this term in his commentary on the Brihadaran- yaka Upanishad; Beinga pandit means knowing the Atman in a special way. Hence, judging by this standard laid down by our commentators, can we not call Sri Ramakrishna a pandit in the real sense of the term? Of course, when livingin the mortal form, he himself never liked to hear such appellations about himself. Almost all children below the age of ten are seen to be frolicsome, playful, and pranksters. Gadadhar was no exception. His mischievous behaviour in the company of his friends and his PB March 2016 playful mimicry of the pandits in an assembly threw even elders into side-splitting laughter. Yer he had a distinction that made him stand head and shoulders above all his mates. He was not merely a keen observer but a keen listener too. Whereas his friends got themselves lost in the amusement of various fins, he would have a part of his receptive mind fixed on the dis- cussions and disputes raised by the assembled scholars. It is said chat in one such assembly of scholars when a debate was going on with a cer- tain issue and nobody was able to come to any decisive conclusion, Gadadhar whispered to one of the participant scholars that the dispute could possibly be settled on such and such lines. The scholar was amazed and announced Gadadhar’s solution to the rest of the members to their as- tonishment and cheer. “The Sanskrit phrase balya-bhava is commonly interpreted as achildish attitude or prank. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, however, the word ‘balya’ means strength of spiritual knowledge. The Upanishad says: “The knower of Brahman, having known all about scholarship, should try to live upon that strength which comes from knowledge." Iris this strength of knowledge that compelled the child Gadadhar to give his verdict to settle the dispute among the scholars. It is again, the same strength which opened the gate of knowledge even to his guru Totapuri by free- ing the latter of his age-old superstition. Acharya Shankara has elaborated on the meaning of the word ‘hala’ in the aforesaid context: ‘Strength is the complete elimination of the vision of the objective world by Self-knowledge.” What does Self-knowledge do? Ie merges the objective world into the divine. Sri Ramakrishna meant this when he commented: ‘Sometimes I find that the universe is saturated with the Conscious- ness of God, as the earth is soaked with water in the rainy season." He never looked upon the 3498 Prabuddha Bharata phenomenal world as anything other than God. In his eyes even prostitutes were veritable repre- sentations of the Divine Mother; the drunkards’ noisy revelry seemed to him as born of the bliss of God. He could not see anything apart from that. Even the lower states of enjoyment were nothing but a speck of that bliss of God in his eyes. This has also been spoken of in the Upani- shads.® But Sri Ramakrishna knew and saw this truth from direct, aparoksha, realisation, and not from scriptural study. This is why he was a real pandit, even without studying scriptures; no, more than that, he became the very embodiment of scriptures. Sri Ramakrishna evinced another childlike trait, which has been explained by Acharya Shankara in his commentary on the Brahma Sutra under the same context just discussed. Therein the Acharya refuted the opposition’s doube by saying that in the case of a monk of re- alisation the word balya does not mean a freaky or wayward natuce of a child but that a monk who is a knower of Brahman often behaves like a child who, owing to immature sense organs, never tries to display one’s knowledge, wisdom, or spirituality to others and keeps himself free from all vanity and ostentation."® ‘Those who are acquainted with the life of Sri Ramakrishna know only too well how his behaviour fitted into such scriptural definition of balya-bhava. Rani Rasmani, the founder of the Dakshin- eswar temple, had made such a provision of char- ity that no beggar, saint, or scholar would go away empty-handed from the temple precinct: Naturally it became a haven for all pilgrims ir- respective of caste, creed, or sect. Even scholars of various denominations would spend a few days at Rasmani’s temple precincts on their way to pilgrimage, discussing various scriptural topics. And Sri Ramakrishna, chen in the prime of youth, would best utilise this opportunity 350 with his keen and receptive mind, Occasionally, there would be even discussions on the higher states of realisation of saints and like an atten- tive and interested student he would compare notes with his own realisations and eestasies. This is one of the most important steps on the path of education, indispensable for every stu- dent, namely, to relate the newly received les- son or knowledge to one’s own life-experiences. Unfortunately, this important part of education is being badly neglected by most educational au- thorities nowadays. (Tobe continued) Notes and References 1. See Mundaka Upanishad, 1.15. 2. See M., The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, trans. Swami Nikhilananda (Chennai: Ramakrishna ‘Math, 2002), 323-. 3. Manusmriti, 2.50: ‘Mataram va suasaram va maturoa bhaginim nijam/bbiksheta bhiksham prathamam ya chainam navamanayet? phasis added. 4. See Acharya Shankara's commentary on the Gita, 2.11: ‘Panda atmavishaya buddbir-yesham te bi panditah 5. Acharya Shankara’s commentary on the Bri- hadaranyaka Upanishad, 3.5.1: Etad atma-vij- nanam pandityam? 6. Bribadaranyaka Upanishad, 3.51:'Tasmad brab- manab pandityam nirvidya balyena tisbtaset? 7. Acharya Shankara's commentary on the Briba- daranyaka Upanishad, 3.1: Balam nama atma- vidyaya ashesha-vishaya-drishti-tiraskaranam: 8. Gospel, 260. 9. See the Bribadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.3.32: ‘Etasyaiva-anandasya-anyani bhutani matram upajivanti; on a particle of this very bliss other beings live? to, See Acharya Shankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutra, 3.4.50: ‘Antaro bhavav- ishesho balasya aprarudbendriyatuadib iha balyam-asbriyate, ... Jnanadhyayana-dharmi- katvadibbih atmanam avikbyapayan dambha- darpadi-rabito bhavet. Yatha balab aprarudbendriyataya na paresham atmanam avishkartum ihate, tadvad? Em PB March 2016An Examination of the Concept of Dharma Ranjit Kumar Barman HE VARTOUS MEANINGS OF the Sanskrit word ‘dharma’ include rituals dedicated to a deity, customs, or the essential character of an object. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in his article ‘Dharmatattva’ has mentioned six meanings of this word.’ This paper attempts to critically evaluate the word ‘dharma’ and to examine its relevance today. A careful examin- ation of its meaning through traditional texts re- veals that it primarily meant morality on which its other meanings are centered. This meaning of dharma is relevant today for countering reli- gious violence. ‘The role of religion is very important in the history of the evolution of human thought and religion has been central to human life. Follow ing Max Muller we could say that ‘the true his- tory of humankind is the history ofits religion!? Religion has brought well-being in society. How- ever, it has also been one of the major causes for many conflicts. In the name of religion, human- ity has witnessed riots, wars, murders, blood- shed, oppression and assault of women, burning, of houses, and destruction of places of worship. Misconceptions Causing Havoc Misconceptions about dharma cause rift and mistrust among humans. One does not usually tolerate someone belonging to a different sect or religion. ‘This situation is not new as history is witness to countless killings guised as religious crusades over the ages. Dividing nations on the basis of religion is a sad reality.” ‘There are many religions because people have PB March 2016 different tastes. Religious dive ry sometimes incites violence. Bue we can find concord among, different religions. When one is in danger or is sinking, should we ask that person's religion? Should we decide what to do after knowing that person's religion? A sense of humanity and em- pathy prevents us from seeing that person's reli- gion in such a scenario. Kazi Nazrul Islam says that when a person is in danger, we should not ask whether that person is a Hindu or a Mus- lim, When someone is sinking we should con- sider them as our sibling." All religions teach us only to serve humankind. The apparent contra- dictions between religions are superimposed by humans based on certain cultural and national preconceptions. Different contexts lead one to have a different notion of ‘I: Different religions are different paths of finding the ultimate truth. ‘Accordingly, we should strive to realise the truth and serve others ignoring the different practices and beliefs of various religions. It is noteworthy that although the word ‘dharma’ is translated into English as ‘religion, these two do not convey the same meaning, Re- ligion is usually considered to be some common beliefs shared by a group of people. The English word ‘religion’ is derived from the Middle Eng- lish word ‘religioun’ which came from the Old French ‘religion’ Ie may have been originally de- rived from the Latin word ‘religo’which means, among other things, ‘good faith’ and ‘ritual’. Or it may have come from the Latin word ‘religare’ which means ‘to tie fast! ‘The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 35120 Prabuddha Bharata defines religions ‘the belief in the existence ofa god or gods, and the activities that are connected with the worship of them, or in the teachings of a spiritual leader; one of the systems of faith that are based on the belief in the existence of a particular god or gods, or in the teachings of a spiritual leader.* The Collins English Diction- ary defines religion as ‘belief in, worship of, or obedience to a supernatural power or powers considered to be divine or to have control of, human destiny; any formal or institutionalized expression of such belief’ When used in the sense of the characteristics of anything, the San- skrit word ‘dharma’ could be used in sentences such as ‘the dharma of water is to quench thirst” or ‘the dharma of fire is to burn’ The broadness of the meanings of the word ‘dharma’ and the narrow meaning of the word ‘religion’ can be understood clearly if we substitute ‘religion’ for ‘dharma’ in the above sentences. They would ridiculously read as ‘the religion of water is to quench thirst’ and ‘the religion of fire is to burn’! ‘The Sanskrit word ‘dharma’ is derived from the root dhvi, which means ‘to uphold: Hence, the derivative meaning of ‘dharma ’is ‘that which sustains or upholds! In the case of an object, its essential property upholds it and hence is its dharma. ‘This meaning of dharma is generally not understood and it is mistaken to be some practices or rituals. Thus, it is imperative that we understand the correct meaning of ‘dharma’ from ancient texts. What is Dharma? Human beings are different from animals in various ways. Ancient texts hold that without dharma human beings are identical to animals if they concentrate only on food, sleep, preser- vation, and procreation.” What is dharma? Is it just a set of rituals? ‘Ihe purpose of rituals is to give some offerings to gods. Through such 352, rituals one attains devotion to God and also purifies the mind, If God is one and our aim is to realise God, then it does not matter what path we follow. There is no cause of conflict among different religions simply because of prayer in different languages or different methods of worship—all these are offered to God. If one fails to discover the unity among different religions and thinks that one’s path alone is true, such a person is in the preliminary stage, and the heart is yet to ex- pand and such a person is yet to realise the ul- timate truth. ‘The Sanskrit maxim, ‘sinanani mani nyaya’ says chat fire irrespective of whether it is pro- duced from grass, wood, or a gem, has the utility of fire, Similarly, the aim of religion is to realise God irrespective of the path followed. In many verses of the Bhagavadgita, the word ‘dharma’ is taken to mean morality.® It is also used in the sense of doing one’s duties, which would save one from grave danger (2.40). ‘Dharma’ has been used in the sense of virtue in the Bhagav- ata.” In the Mahabharata friendliness towards all beings is considered dharma."® The Mahabharata equates dharma with justice (7.89.47). Dharma is also caken to mean forgiveness and steadfast- ness (4.6.20). The Manusmriti defines dharma as ‘non-violence, truth, non-stealing, cleanliness, and equanimity: ‘Without purity no true wor- ship is possible. Unless an individual is pure in body and mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping the Deity are meaningless." The followers of Mimamsa consider dharma to be ‘that which is indicated by the injunctions of the Vedas!" From these texts, we can safely con- clude that ‘dharma’ is the good practised by a pure person. Ie follows that morality is the bed- rock of spirituality. ‘The same idea is present in the Pancha-mahavrata of Jainism and Pancha- shila of Buddhism. PB March 2016An Examination of the Concept of Dharma n Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda have shown that various religions are but dif- ferent paths to God. Sri Ramakrishna held that God-realisation was the ultimate aim of human life. Swami Vivekananda taught that we should strive to manifest the divinity inherent in us. He said: “This is the message of Shri Ramakrishna to the modern world: ‘Do not care for doctrines, do not care for dogmas, or sects, or churches, or temples; they count for little compared with the essence of existence in each man which is spirituality; and the more this is developed in aman, the more powerful is he for good. Earn that first, acquire that, and criticise no one, for all doctrines and creeds have some good in them. Show by your lives that religion does not mean words, or names, or sects, but that it means spiritual realisation. Only those can. understand who have felt. Only those who have attained to spirituality can communicate it 0 others, can be great teachers of mankind, They alone are the powers of light!"" “The universal religion envisaged by Swamiji is open to all irrespective of caste, creed, nation- ality, and gender. About different religions, he said: ‘I believe that they are not contradictory; theyare supplementary. Each religion, asit were, takes up one part of the great universal truth, and spends its whole force in embodying and typifying that part of the great truth. Itis, there- fore, addition, not exclusion. That is the idea. My idea, therefore, is that all these religions are different forces in the economy of God, working for the good of mankind’ (2.365-6). If dharma is construed as morality then reli- gious conflict would end. No religion can claim superiority over others. Hence, it is best that morality is considered dharma. All rituals and beliefs should be secondary to that, Almost all religious clashes are due to differences in obser- vances. Swamiji believed that one could attain PB March 2016 God by service of fellow beings seeing God in them, Therefore, based on morality and a spirit of spiritual service all religions can come to- gether. This could be an idea for an universal re- ligion that does not see differences but only the underlying unity of all faith-systems. of Notes and References L Be ao ‘These six meanings are: Religions like Bud- dhism, Hinduism and Islam; morality; piety: rituals; essential characteristics of a thing; and social customs. See Bankim Chandra Chattopa- dhyay, Dharmatattva’ in Bankim Rachanavali, 3 vols (Kolkata: Sahitya Samsad, 1361 Be), 2.672. D Miall Edwards, The Philosophy of Religion (New York: George H Doran, 1929), 9. See Aravinda Basu and Nivedita Chakrabarti, Dharmadarsban (Bengali) (Kolkata: Firma k 1 M, 2007) 5 See ‘Kandari Hushiar’ in Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sanchita (Kolkata: D M Library, 1928), 60. accessed 15 January 2016. accessed 1s January 2016. ‘Abara nidra bhaya maithunancha samanya- ‘metat pashubbir naranam, dharma bi tesham- adbika vishesha dharmena hinab pashubbih samanah; food, sleep, fear, and procreation are same among humans and animals, dharma is special only to humans; without dharma the humans are akin to animals’ (Mahabharata, Shansiparva, 29 4.25). - See Gita, rrand 4.7 See Bhagavata, 1. See Mahabharata, Shantiparva, 261.59. Manusmriti, 10.63. Ranjit Kumar Barman, ‘An Indian Outlook to the Concept of Dharma: In the Need of the Present Day’, International Journal of Humani- ties and Social Sciences, 4/5 (August-Septem- ber 2015), 59-703 64 accessed 26 January 2016. Mimamsa Sutra, 1.12. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 9 vols (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1-8, 1989; 9,197), 4-187. 353